Page 21 - GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Great Expectations

of any of the housekeeping property as his - united to the
necessity of always keeping one hand on my bread-and-
butter as I sat, or when I was ordered about the kitchen on
any small errand, almost drove me out of my mind. Then,

as the marsh winds made the fire glow and flare, I thought
I heard the voice outside, of the man with the iron on his
leg who had sworn me to secrecy, declaring that he
couldn’t and wouldn’t starve until to-morrow, but must
be fed now. At other times, I thought, What if the young
man who was with so much difficulty restrained from
imbruing his hands in me, should yield to a constitutional
impatience, or should mistake the time, and should think
himself accredited to my heart and liver to-night, instead
of to-morrow! If ever anybody’s hair stood on end with
terror, mine must have done so then. But, perhaps,
nobody’s ever did?
It was Christmas Eve, and I had to stir the pudding for
next day, with a copper-stick, from seven to eight by the
Dutch clock. I tried it with the load upon my leg (and that
made me think afresh of the man with the load on his leg),
and found the tendency of exercise to bring the bread-
and-butter out at my ankle, quite unmanageable. Happily,
I slipped away, and deposited that part of my conscience
in my garret bedroom.

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